MISSION STATEMENT

VOLUNTEERS

INJURED BIRDS

MEDICAL TREATMENT

EDUCATIONAL BIRDS

CAGING

VETERINARIANS

YOUR BACKYARD

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

SANDHILL CRANES

BANDED RETURNS

WING "N" THINGS

OPERATION MIGRATION

DO NO HARM

Nick drew this picture of himself training an owl.  Who knows what will happen when he gets older?

Here are three pictures of operation rescue. From in the laundry basket to
in the new nest we created.  We live in the city of Green Bay by the Bairds
Creek Parkway and have seen owls in the past.  This year the decided to
nest 30' off the back of our house in a small pine tree in the middle of
our yard.  I think they watch us as much as we watch them. We found the
chicks on the ground yesterday morning at about 5:30 a.m. The heavy winds
must have knocked them out of the little squirrel nest she decided to take
over. My wife Wendy went out and placed a couple blankets in the basket and
put the chicks in the basket.  I bought the huge wicker basket at Hobby
Lobby.  Wendy's cousin Jason helped with the nest construction, which was
placed about 25' up in the same tree.  The new nest is about 15' below the
original.  Mom owl watched the entire operation but did not threaten at all.
My wife Wendy just informed me that she is back in the nest full time now
and is getting more and more comfortable.

Thanks for the help

 

WINGS "N" THINGS

This page will be devoted to the bits and pieces of rehabbing.

First on this page will be our gratitude to Don Cashmore, our bait shop owner in New London.   If it were not for "Cash" we would go broke buying suckers and minnows for our fish eaters at The Feather. One fish eating bird can consume many, many minnows.  We have done bitterns, loons, great blue herons, black crowned night herons, green herons, and a couple of eagles.   Can you imagine the amount of fish to satisfy these birds?  Cash has always been there for us, and made sure the birds always had their fill of food.  He supports our efforts in wildlife...

Barred owl release by Nick Ritchie

On New Years eve 2007 this barred owl was released in a swampy area north of New London, Wisconsin by a student on my school bus.    Nick Ritchie had made me an owl Christmas card and what better way to say "thank you" than by letting him release the owl at his house. The next school day I brought a few photos of him and the owl and he passed them around to the others students on the bus.   

RESPONSIBLE HUNTER

Photo by Debra Gehring

Greg Gehring

This  young man was hunting on November 26th, 2006 and found this immature red tailed hawk in the woods.   He gave up his hunting for the rest of the day to make sure the hawk was taken care of.   I admire this young hunter and all that hunting stands for.  He cared enough to help an injured animal and gave up some precious hunt time.  The following is how he found the bird in his own words.

"We were doing a deer drive and it was nearing the end of the drive, when I found this bird.  When I saw him, I thought that he may have had a wounded wing or something, so I called my uncle Brad over and asked him what to do. The bird was sitting on a log overlooking the river.  I walked over to him slowly so I would not scare him and put my hand out so that he would not fly at me, and I picked him up.  His talons looked so big.  I am 17 year old and have been hunting for 5 years now.  This year I shot a pretty nice sized doe."

If all goes well and this bird makes the winter here at the Feather, some sunny day in April 2006 he will be put back into his world.   Greg Gehring will do the honors by releasing him back to the wind.

March 30,2005 we received a call stating that the wind the night before in the Green Bay area blew two baby great horned owls from their nest and they were on the ground.. They wanted to know what to do with the baby owls, we suggested a trip to the local Hobby Lobby for a wicker laundry basket , some rope, a tall ladder and a brave person to put the basket back up in the tree.    They did all four.     While the basket was being found the owl babies waited in a basket on the ground.  The mother was seen trying to cover both owls from the weather and bringing mice for them to eat while the problem was being discussed.  The photos below tell the story of the grounded owls and their return to their mother within a 24 hour period. 

See message to the left for the account of the "day in the life of caring humans"

Safe and sound in new nest, mother returned soon after photo was taken.

Brad Binder, son of Jim Binder, releasing an immature red tailed hawk on April 12, 2004.   The bird was found by Brad's dad a Wisconsin state trooper on the side of the road.  The bird was wintered over, was killing live prey and was released in the area.

Tom Pliska on behalf of Wal-Mart of Waupaca  came to our aid  in the form of a $1000 donation in  April of 2004.   Tom is presenting the  check to volunteer Carol Mcllraith of New London.  The check was used to further educational programs at The Feather.

Corbin Klein shown here is holding Becka the American Kestrel at a program given at Maplewood Middle School.  The School on the lake charter school did a program for the 75 third  graders from Spring Road Elementary school.  It touched on many aspects of birds and their habits.   The instructors for the third graders were the seventh and eighth graders from the charter school.   A one of kind teaching experience. The birds of The Feather were honored to be a part of this learning process.